Saturday picks – Murray, Baghdatis, and Davydenko

Brisbane semifinals

Andy Murray vs. Kei Nishikori: This could be a great one. Nishikori captured the biggest title of his career last fall in Tokyo and he is showing no signs of slowing down. The Japanese star took care of Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets on Friday to book his spot in the semis. Murray struggled to get past John Millman in his Brisbane opener and both quarterfinal sets against Denis Istomin were tough. The top-seeded Scot will have to raise his level if he wants to get past an opponent like Nishikori, but he should be able to do just that in the latter stages of the event.

Odds: Murray -600, Nishikori +350

Pick: Murray 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Marcos Baghdatis vs. Grigor Dimitrov: Nobody other than Nikolay Davydenko has been as on fire as Dimitrov this week. The Bulgarian upset No. 2 seed Milos Raonic in the second round and ousted Jurgen Melzer on Friday. Neither match was particularly competitive and both were highlighted by ridiculous shot-making from Dimitrov. However, nobody playing this week loves Australia as much as Baghdatis. The result should be the best match of the tournament.

Odds: Dimitrov -120, Baghdatis Even

Pick: Baghdatis 5-7, 6-3, 7-5

Doha final

Richard Gasquet vs. Nikolay Davydenko: Davydenko’s run to the title match–and especially the fashion in which he has made the run–has come almost out of nowhere. The 31-year-old went a combined 49-49 over the past two seasons and dropped as low as 56th in the world in 2012. This week, however, Davydenko rolled over Victor Hanescu, Mikhail Youzhny, and Simone Bolelli then thrashed top-seeded David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3. Gasquet is playing well–just as he did last year–but well enough to beat the Russian? Maybe not. The Frenchman scraped past Grega Zemlja in a third-set tiebreaker in round two, but he may not be as lucky in a close one against such an in-form opponent.

Pick: Davydenko 4-6, 6-2, 6-3